Radiation-emitting semiconductor chips are advantageous light sources owing to their compact size and efficiency. However, on account of spontaneous emission the radiation generated is usually nondirectional and unpolarized. However, for applications such as LCD backlighting, for example, light sources that emit polarized radiation are advantageous.
Both German Patent Publication No. DE 10 2007 062 041 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0035944 describe radiation-emitting semiconductor chips that emit polarized radiation. Furthermore, they describe that the radiation component which cannot couple out of the semiconductor chip on account of its polarization is at least partly recovered in the semiconductor chip by photon recycling.